Champion of better capitalism
‘Who cares if Miami is going to be 6 foot under water. Amsterdam has been for centuries and it is a very nice place.’ Perhaps you missed the continuing controversy that raged following the speech by Stuart Kirk, HSBC’s Head of Responsible Investing. Perhaps you were … Continue readingStuart Kirk – an investment intermediary handicapped by his education
Sad as it may sound, some of the funniest conversations I’ve had recently have been about car parking at our local station in Suffolk ‘Have you found a way of paying yet ?’ we ask each other. One man has sent a ‘see-you-in court’ letter … Continue readingThe Bewilderment Brew – how technology, privatisation and outsourcing combined can make life hard for customers
Travelers arriving at Liverpool St station in London see a memorial to the Kindertransport. In 1938 and 1939, ten thousand unaccompanied Jewish children were transported to Britain to escape persecution in Germany and Austria. They were taken in by British families. Only a few were … Continue readingWhat Would Make Us Proud of Our Country?
I’ve just read Catherine Belton’s excellent book ‘Putin’s People – how the KGB took back Russia and then took on the West’. I then saw the FT’s film ‘The London Laundromat’. London, and especially the City of London, played a prominent part in Putin’s ascent. … Continue readingTrust and Russian Money – Time for the City to Look in the Mirror?
‘The Battle of the Deplorable Owners’ took place on 13 March 2022 – a Premier League match between Chelsea, owned by oligarch Roman Abramovich and Newcastle United, owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. (The fund’s chair, Mohammed Bin Salman has been unable … Continue readingDeplorable Owners – how to deal with football’s tainted inheritance
It was a pleasant evening with friends. Next to me was the long-retired founder of a business that I admire. Suddenly changing the subject, he asked ‘Mark tell me what you think about B Corp’? The B Corp movement is born out of the belief … Continue readingCulture – the gaping hole that undermines B Corp’s credibility
I once heard about a Syrian refugee, a biochemist, who reflected on the horrors and humiliations involved in fleeing his country. ‘I’m a scientist; I’m supposed to be intelligent. Yet I didn’t even think to bring a spade’ he said. War is a time for … Continue readingMaster or servant? A new agenda for teaching business
In 2019 I was invited to Lithuania to speak at the Annual Conference of the Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance (BICG) My hosts presented me with chocolates made by a company whose history goes back 100 years. ‘So’ I asked ‘Was this one of the … Continue readingLithuanian chocolates and global shocks
The government sees improved productivity as the cornerstone of its Levelling Up policy. That means supporting the private sector – the real engine of wealth creation to invest more, grow more and take more risks Economist David Smith has warned about the slow growth rate … Continue readingThe high road to improved productivity
Life expectancy for a man living in Blackpool is 74 years. In the London Borough of Westminster it is over 84. In Barnsley 15% of disadvantaged pupils go to university. In London 45% do. Geographical inequality in the UK is stark. Our government’s Levelling Up … Continue readingYes to levelling up. No to divisiveness and ignoring nature.